


a thousand eyes, and one

by randomostrichchocolates



Series: not all treasure is silver and gold, mate [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/F, Gen, and in the quotes used at the beginning and end, but you dont need that to understand the story, its also merthur preslash, thats a thing, the morgwen is largely background in this one fyi but it will be more relevant later on, theres an asoiaf reference in the title
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2015-05-31
Packaged: 2018-04-02 05:16:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4047505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomostrichchocolates/pseuds/randomostrichchocolates
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Pirate Captain Arthur "The Bloody Prince" Pendragon of The Golden Dragon and ex-heir to the throne of Camelot was ten years old, his older sister Morgana called him Arty. Or Wart, when he was being particularly irritating.</p>
            </blockquote>





	a thousand eyes, and one

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, I seriously have no idea where this fic (this entire series, I guess??? Cause I've already planned out most of the whole thing) came from. I mean, I want to be all professional and says thanks to all these people for supporting me through months of toil and work. But, really it was just a frantic week of me up at like 1 AM furiously typing stuff for this fic and then messaging my wonderful beta [Styx_in_the_mud](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Styx_in_the_mud/pseuds/Styx_in_the_mud) with updates of this monster fic.
> 
> So, yeah, thank you so much to Shiv for being my beta and thanks for reading!

Merlin seriously hated Mondays.

The worst things always happened to him at the beginning of the week. His father left on a Monday. He fell out of a tree and broke his arm on a Monday (he had been practicing levitating; it didn't go well). And of course, now he'd been captured by a witch hunter on a Monday.

"You see..." Aredian was saying as he paced in front of the iron cage. "I just don't know whether I want to bring you to the King in this cage like a shackled pet, or whether to just bring him your head." Merlin gulped. Aredian's eyes glinted but he did not smile. Merlin had never seen him smile. "I'll get my gold either way, so really it's about whether your face begins to annoy me."

Merlin glared at him but did not dare reply. A smart remark like the last one he made about Aredian's sparse beard might earn him more than just a smack to the face this time.

There was a crash from a few shops over and Aredian looked up sharply. "Help!" A girl cried out from under the swinging sign that indicated "The Rising Sun". "A sorcerer!"

"Business calls." Aredian said, his eyes flashing excitedly, and glanced over at Merlin. "Now be sure not to move. Heh." He sneered before stalking away. Merlin resisted the urge not to stick his tongue out after him. Merlin relaxed slightly against the cage wall, finally being able to breathe without the threat of murder constantly hanging over his head for the first time in a week.

"Did I even need to save you? Looks like you're on vacation." A voice drawled from behind and Merlin whipped around, the shackles around his arms clinking painfully against the bones in his wrist.

"Will!" The shaggy haired man grinned. "What on earth are you doing here?" Merlin's grin faded a bit. "Aredian could kill you!"

Will used a single finger to flick Merlin on the forehead through the bars of the cage. "Shut up. You think I'm gonna let a witch hunter steal my best friend from me?" He took a hook out of his back pocket and started working at the locks on the shackles. "Besides Aredian's distracted." Will twisted the hook sharply. "You didn't think that fake 'Help, a sorcerer!' was real did you?" One shackle popped open. He moved the hook to the other one. "Really, Mer, I thought you were smarter than that." The other shackle popped open and Merlin gasped as he felt the power scream back into his body.

Cold iron was a bitch.

"You told that girl to lie for me?" He asked rubbing at his wrists. Will began working on the lock for the cage.

"Freya's an old friend. She knows how to lie her way out of a tight spot." Merlin rested his hand on Will's to still his lock-picking. He flicked his fingers, eyes glowing gold, and the cage door swung open with a creak. "Well, that was convenient. Could have done that first."

"What about this one?" Merlin asked, inclining his head to indicate the plastic tracking bracelet around his ankle. He didn't want to use magic on it because he was sure that Aredian had mentioned something about an explosive.

Will frowned. "We can deal with that one later, I think. Don't want to mess with anything that could spontaneously combust." Merlin nodded, before giving Will a worried look.

"You think this... Freya, is okay?"

"She has magic, too. She hasn't gone this long without being able to lie to a few people." Will smiled and clapped Merlin on the shoulder. "Well, come on, then. Let's go home."

But Merlin had gone deathly pale. "She has magic?" He looked at Will in horror. "Aredian can smell magic from miles away. He's going to kill her!" Merlin ran towards The Rising Sun.

"Merlin, wait! He could kill you!" Will called after him, but he had started running as well.

Merlin had just reached the door of the pub when Aredian burst out. When he saw Merlin, his eyes glinted. "Must be my lucky day." He said. "I get to kill two sorcerers in one day." He flicked his wrist, the baton he was holding unravelling open, and Merlin flinched at the distinct crack of electricity.

Merlin raised his hands to blast Aredian backwards, but Aredian ducked, using the electric wand to hit Merlin in the stomach. Merlin gasped as the voltage coursed through his body. The shock felt surprisingly similar to magic except for the fact that his body rejected it ferociously and painfully, while it welcomed magic like an old friend.

Merlin fell and could hear a ringing in his ears that he vaguely recognized as his own screaming. Aredian pressed the electric wand against his chest and Merlin felt his heart stutter dangerously. There was a distant shout that Merlin barely heard and suddenly the pain was gone.

Merlin twitched, the current still creeping through his body and opened his eyes. Will had tackled Aredian to the floor and was punching him in the face repeatedly. He looked up at Merlin and yelled "Run!"

"I can't leave you!" Merlin shouted.

"Don't be fucking dramatic, you twat. Get out of here!" Will grabbed the nearest object, which happened to be the electric baton, and tossed it in Merlin's general direction. "Run!" Merlin ran.

He had gotten all of one hundred feet or so, when he heard a yell and turned around to see if Will was okay. He watched as Aredian flipped Will over, before dragging himself and Will shakily on to two feet. Aredian glanced over at where Merlin was standing a few feet away, before pulling out a dagger, and gutting Will in the middle of the street.

Merlin ran.

The anger coursed through him. The hate, the fear, the urge to kill, and the urge to flee all mingled into one gigantic monster. He had to escape. But he also had to skin Aredian from head to toe.

He could hear Aredian's footsteps trailing behind him in chase and fought the part of him that told him to stop and confront the man. It would end badly and most probably with his head displayed like a hunted animal in Uther's throne room.

When Merlin first saw the sea, he was incredibly unimpressed.

His mother had told him stories of Dragon's Bay, where Uther had first defeated the great dragon and had his priestess imprison its soul into a ship, Uther's own golden dragon. The ship had been used as a part of the navy until the boat had been stolen by a murdering pirate. No one knew whether the first part was true, but the second part was widespread knowledge. The Golden Dragon, the king's own ship, stolen and turned by an enemy to the crown. The story of the Golden Dragon was even more amazing when one knew the identity of its pirate captain.

Merlin ducked into a hidden alleyway he saw near the side and crouched low, hoping Aredian would not be able to sniff out his blood.

Aredian raced down and paused in front of the alley way. Merlin whispered a quick spell in hide his presence, make anyone who looked towards the alley, merely glance away as if they had forgotten something important.

Aredian turned his head and searched the alley with his eyes. They landed directly on Merlin, and squinted with a slight glare. Merlin held his breath. Finally, finally, after an eternity of bated breath, Aredian shook his head in confusion and continued running in the direction he had been.

Merlin crept out of the alley way slowly. The spell did not have a very large range, maybe a few hundred feet. After that, Aredian would realize who he had seen and would be back, probably even more angry than before.

Merlin looked over at the ships docked into Dragon's Bay and had quite possibly the stupidest idea he had ever had. He crept towards the ships, observing them, trying to determine which one was most likely to leave the soonest. He identified a murky brownish one, a ship that looked like it had possibly been on fire once, lurking near the edge of the bay; The crew seemed to be currently hurrying cargo on to the ship, if the shouts and running was anything to tell by.

He whispered a spell to make himself invisible.

Merlin crept onto the ship, slowly, making sure not to get in anyone's way so that they didn't question how they bumped into thin air. He didn't linger in any one place too long, dodging his way through the crew, and making his way below deck where he would be less likely to be discovered.

The rooms below deck all looked similar and Merlin glanced around, trying to figure out which one was a storeroom he could hide in. He opened one carefully, hoping not to be seen by anyone inside. The room was big, there didn't seem to be any sort of cargo or food around, and when Merlin glanced in the corner, there was a large bed. He was about to close the door, not wanting to hide in a bedroom where he would most definitely be caught but heard footsteps. Merlin stepped into the room, quickly, and closed the door as quietly as possible, before realizing, with a start, that he was invisible and he definitely could have found somewhere else. If he had just been thinking and not been an idiot. He paused to smack himself in the forehead, before listening at the door.

The footsteps had now become accompanied by talking and Merlin decided he could not venture outside the room right now, perhaps at a later point in order to find a better hiding place.

Merlin looked around the room, his eyes landing on something that looked like a closet. He opened the sliding door.

Man, this guy sure liked red, he thought, absently, feeling the leather jacket that sat among the other clothes that one might think was too nice for a sailor to wear. Merlin decided he could wait here until nightfall, whoever this room belonged to was unlikely to change clothes until tomorrow, or if Merlin knew sailors, until a few months from now.

He stepped into the musky closet and closed the door, the motion causing a heap of dust to rise up from the floor. Merlin coughed before leaning against the wall.

He really was quite tired, he thought, and decided that resting on the floor would be alright as long as he didn't fall asleep.

Though, of course, he definitely fell asleep.

Honestly, it's a wonder how Merlin evaded witch hunters for this long anyway.

***

Merlin startled awake to a sharp beeping noise. He jumped and sat up, hurriedly, searching around to figure out where it was coming from before seeing the flashing lights on his ankle bracelet. Crap, he thought, briefly, before the closet door had been swung open and he was dragged out by his shirt collar.

The man who had pulled him out of his hiding spot, the owner of the room, Merlin assumed, grabbed his left leg, and using the hilt of his sword, smashed the receiver that was making the offending sound. Merlin gasped in shock, the force of the blow hitting his ankle as well, and he shut his eyes to try and block out the instant pain. The next thing Merlin knew, he was being dragged upwards and slammed against the wall, his arm twisted painfully and a sharp knife to his neck.

"Who sent you?" The man growled, his knife glinting against Merlin's skin. "Talk fast, before my hand slips."

"Two death threats in one day. Today really isn't working out for me." Merlin grumbled.

The man pressed the knife slightly harder. "Talk. I won't warn you again."

Merlin finally looked at the man to observe who had captured him. He wore a red leather doublet (that looked a lot like the numerous other ones in his closet) and was just slightly shorter than Merlin was. His golden blond hair looked like it was an actual crown atop his head, and Merlin blushed slightly, trying not to think about how under normal circumstances, he'd find being pinned to the wall by this man more than pleasant. The knife might put a damper on things - or add some excitement depending on what you were into.

"I..." Merlin thought of an excuse for why he was hiding on this ship. "I'm... No one sent me."

"Don't lie to me." The man stared at Merlin hard. "What, did you just accidentally board this ship?"

"I'm... I needed passage out of Camelot and I just boarded a random ship. I didn't have any coin so I decided to hide, I'm sorry." Merlin spoke fast, the truth just skittering on the edge of the lie he had just told.

"That anklet you're wearing says differently." Merlin felt the knife prick his skin as the man pressed it harder. He winced. "I'm gonna give you one more chance to tell me who you're working for."

Merlin held up the one hand that wasn't pinned behind his back in a gesture of peace. "Okay, I lied about just needing passage, but I swear I'm not working for anyone! I... I was escaping my captor."

"And what were you caught for?"

"Uh..." Merlin faltered. "Um... stealing."

"Stealing?" The man looked at him doubtfully. "I doubt they would put a tracking bracelet on you for stealing."

"Well, I, uh, I stole a lot."

The man gave him a strange look as if Merlin was quite thick. "You... stole a lot?"

"Yeah." Merlin said, getting more into the lie. "Stole so much. Jewels, gold, and all. They didn't want me out of their sight 'cause I was such a hardened criminal."

"A hardened criminal?"

"Are you doubting me?" Merlin felt offended. "I am a hardened criminal."

The man looked sceptical. "You just don't look the part, that's all."

"Well, that's the truth of it."

The man glared. "How did you get aboard my ship without anyone noticing you?"

Merlin gulped. "Um... well, I am a thief. You know, sleight of hand and all that. It wasn't their fault, really."

The blonde man stared at him for a long time, before sighing. "Alright then," He said, easing back a little to allow Merlin to regain his footing. "I'm going to take you to the rest."

Which was when Merlin did something a bit stupid, that he thought was a good idea at the time, or at least a better idea than letting this ship's captain kill him or feed him to sharks, or whatever. Merlin pushed the man, and tried to run.

Except, the smash that had broken the tracking bracelet had also injured Merlin's foot so he pushed the man, took a single step, and came crashing to the floor with a gasp of pain.

The man groaned as he regained himself and glared at Merlin, who was in a heap on the floor. "Guess we're doing this the hard way." He said. He pulled Merlin's head up by his hair and slammed it into the cabin floor.

***

When he came to, Merlin could feel the sharp scratch of wood beneath him. There was a heavy pounding in his head and a sting where the knife had nicked his neck. His ankle, of course, felt like it might fall off at any second, which wasn't promising in terms of running away from potential death threats.

"Ah, he's awake." A smooth voice said. "Princess, the beautiful stowaway’s opening his eyes."

"It's Captain." Said another voice, who Merlin recognized instantly as the blonde who had knocked him out. He was the Captain, then? Fantastic. "And I'd appreciate it, Gwaine, if you didn't refer to our prisoners as beautiful. Really not the vibe we're going for."

Merlin finally pried open his eyes, and winced at the sharp sunlight that streamed in. On deck, then. He lay on the deck to try and regain feeling in his limbs before making a move to sit up. Almost instantly, the sharpened edge of a sword had moved to touch his neck.

"Honestly, should have expected that one." He croaked out, looking down the sword at the "Captain". He glanced around the ship, noticing he was surrounded by a rag tag crew, all wearing somewhat torn clothes or bandanas or the colour red. It was like a uniform, but these clearly weren't naval officers. What other kind of ship had its crew wear uniform, Merlin wondered.

"Morning, moonshine," A man with shaggy black hair on Merlin's right grinned. "We've been waiting ages for you to wake up."

Merlin opened his mouth to answer, before he felt the sword shift across the scar where the blonde had cut him minutes (hours? days?) ago, and sharply shut it again. "Stop fraternizing, Gwaine." The blonde said, his voice cutting and angry.

Honestly, Mondays, he had had far too many sharp objects at his neck today.

"What are we going to do with him?" A soft voice asked, and Merlin looked up to see that it belonged to a gentle faced brunette man. He didn't look like the type to hang around this riff raff, but then again the Captain looked like he could be a model, so who was Merlin to judge.

To be fair, both this brunette and the shaggy haired "Gwaine" also were beautiful so maybe this was some sort of male escort sailor ship.

Merlin tried to find something to give him a clue, or some sort of way to escape his predicament. He looked past the Captain, to where deck hands were going about their usual business. One brunette girl was at the wheel, coordinating the sailors that weren't standing gathered around Merlin. Beyond her, Merlin could see the prow of the ship, where a figure head in the shape of a large dragon towered mightily. Under the brown murk that seemed to cover the ships exterior, Merlin could almost say the dragon looked like it was made of gold, almost like it shined in the sun.

"Oi, listen to me when I'm talking to you!" The captain shouted and Merlin snapped his eyes back to look at the towering man, golden hair shifting rays in the sunlight. Merlin gulped. Pirates. He'd gotten on a bloody pirate ship.

"I..." He started, before stopping and trying again. "You're..."

"Looks like he's trying to say something, lads." The blonde man laughed.

Merlin flushed angrily but pressed on, trying to articulate his thoughts. "You're him, aren't you?"

"You're going to have to be more specific, you know." The captain said, giving Merlin a calculating look.

"You're him. The Bloody Prince."

"I never did quite like that name." The captain said, his blue eyes hardening just slightly.

"And I never did quite like being threatened with murder but we can't always get what we want, eh, Your Highness?"

That made him angry. He stepped forward, lifting the sword, as if to bring it down and slash Merlin open before holding himself back. He sheathed the sword, letting his hand fall to his side and breathed out hard, as if to calm himself.

"What's your name, stowaway?"

"How about I give you my name and you let me leave?"

The man barked out a laugh. "In case you hadn't noticed, we're actually in the middle of the ocean. And secondly, you're heavily out-numbered."

"What if I told you I could take you all down myself?" said Merlin.

"I'd say I'd like to see you try." They stared each other down, both tensed and at the ready for a battle, before Merlin gave a deep sigh and slumped to the ground. He wouldn't hurt anyone unless they forced his hand.

"That's what I thought. Now," The captain put on his commanding voice and Merlin looked up warily. "I don't like to make a habit of killing anyone who happens to board my ship."

"You're letting me go?" asked Merlin disbelievingly.

"Of course," Merlin stared, eyes wide in hope. "I'm going to make you walk the plank." Merlin drooped.

"Gee," He said, sarcastically. "Really, hold back on the kindness, _sire_." He spat the title out like a bug.

"I am being benevolent." The captain said, his voice hard and unrelenting. "You snuck aboard my ship, most pirates would slit your throat now and throw you overboard. I, on the other hand, will make you walk the plank, with your hands untied. With any luck, you'll be able to swim your way back." He smirked. "We're only a day's sail away from shore. But that's all up to your ability."

"And if I can't swim?" Merlin asked, remembering that one summer day when Will pushed him into the pond in the woods and Merlin couldn't breathe and swallowed water like air and somehow used his magic to drain the lake completely. Hunith yelled at Will about it for hours and Merlin didn't stop crying for practically two days. Ealdor had a rough summer that year, a painful drought-like summer.

"Then, my condolences." The captain said with a grimace. "Men, ready the plank." He drew his sword.

"Captain -" The gentle brunette man cut in but he was interrupted by a shrill woman's voice.

"Arthur!" The woman who marched towards them was a hurricane of commanding power. Merlin briefly wondered whether this was the actual captain (perhaps the only one who could control the captain?). "You can't do that."

The captain - Arthur, Merlin reminded himself, storing that information, a confirmation of the identity he had suspected - groaned and turned to face the woman. "Pray, tell, Morg, why not?"

The woman's porcelain features hardened to steel and Merlin suddenly resisted the urge to find a very large hole to hide in. "Do not act condescending when you're talking to me." She said, sharply with a glare. "You can't drop him in the ocean, _Captain_ , because if you do, our ship is going to sink."

"What?" Arthur frowned. "Is this another one of your scary dreams again?"

Merlin saw the girl's hand twitch near the sheath he assumed her dagger was in and briefly wondered whether "Morg" was going to stab Arthur and get rid of his problems for him. She was already saving his life. "No, you arse," She sneered. "If you drop him in the ocean, that anklet, which you've oh-so-effectively disabled, will explode on contact with water and the blast radius will most definitely blow a hole in the side of our ship."

Arthur sputtered. "Wait, what? It has explosives? Why didn't anything happen when I broke it then?" He paused. "Also, when did Nimueh add a feature that caused it to explode on contact with water?"

"It didn't explode when you broke it because of some kind of dumb luck. Or maybe a miracle." Merlin thought about the time all of Ealdor's crops were destroyed by a hurricane and Hunith had come home and been heartbroken all night. The next morning, all the crops were blooming and overflowing and the village was stumped but eventually decided it must have been some sort of miracle. "And you know exactly why she would add explosives that detonated upon contact with water." She gave Arthur a significant look.

Arthur sighed and rubbed at his eyes in annoyance. "So, you're telling me we have to keep him here?"

"Until we can remove that bracelet, yes." She raised her eyebrows at him. "And we both know you won't kill him."

The captain held back a heavy groan. Finally, he turned back to Merlin. "Alright, you get to stay on board for now. It's a lucky day, I suppose." Merlin stared at him, wondering if he had somehow done something incredibly amazing recently to gain this kind of karma. "Gaius." Arthur called out and from outside the edges of the crowd around Merlin, an old man, who Merlin hadn't noticed before, wearing somewhat aged blue robes stepped towards him. "Gaius will be watching you while he tries to figure out how to get that anklet off." He gave Merlin a hard look. "After that, you'll swim to whatever tiny island is closest to where we drop you and you never speak of this again. If you try anything or act in any way against the crew of my ship, I will cut your throat and we'll find a way to get the bracelet off of your dead body. Am I making myself clear?"

Merlin nodded very hard.

"Good. Gaius, you can take him to your quarters." Merlin watched as the old man approached him and made an effort to stand up before feeling his ankle twinge sharply. He fell back to the floor with a barely concealed hiss of pain.

The old man gave him a concerned look. "I'm sure we can find something for your foot as well, my boy. Come on." Gaius gave him a hand and helped Merlin get to his feet, letting Merlin lean on him as they walked away, slowly. Suddenly, Merlin stopped.

He turned to face Arthur who was still watching them go.

"My name is Merlin, by the way." He said. Arthur nodded, accepting the odd balance that was held between them.

Merlin turned away and let Gaius lead him.

***

When Pirate Captain Arthur "The Bloody Prince" Pendragon of The Golden Dragon and ex-heir to the throne of Camelot was ten years old, his older sister Morgana called him Arty. Or Wart, when he was being particularly irritating. He hadn't known Morgana was his sister back then; in fact, they hadn't even grown up together.

The Lady Morgana LeFay of House Gorlois moved in with the Pendragons when she was eleven (and Arthur was nine). Her father had died in combat and her mother had passed away from grief not long after, or so they said about the Lady Vivian. Morgana's father and Uther had been very good friends, being fostered together within the castle walls until Gorlois had come of age and gone back to his own lands. So, Uther vowed to keep his friend's daughter safe, and foster her as his own, or so he told the world.

Morgana and Arthur bickered constantly. There was a point in Arthur's life, a small crisis around age fourteen where for a horrible brief period he thought that he would have to marry Morgana when he got older. He avoided her for all of two weeks before she found him hiding in the gardens, pried the information out of him, and smacked him upside the head, declaring loudly that she'd rather die than marry idiot, arrogant princes with big stuffy heads.

Arthur, who was incredibly offended, told her she'd be lucky to marry someone as beautiful and powerful as a prince.

Morgana turned her nose up at him and said he was just a snot nosed brat and she would marry whomever she chose. She later went on to tell him that clearly the best person for her to marry was her maidservant Guinevere, who brought her flowers and braided her hair in the morning.

Arthur told her she couldn't marry a girl and Morgana threw a very large vase at him.

They both got in a lot of trouble that day.

When Arthur was fifteen, he came of age, as was proper in their society. There was a tournament held in his honour, and the duty of the prince was to prove his mettle by winning the tournament. At the age of fifteen. Honestly, it was an insane ritual.

Arthur won the tournament.

The same day, a sorceress came to visit the King.

Now, the king did not like magic. He would often tell Arthur that magic was dangerous and should be both feared and avoided, and if possible, destroyed. It wasn't an official declaration, but it was well known that one should not openly practice magic under Uther's reign, since he did not take to the practice kindly.

So, when a sorceress blatantly came to visit the King, the castle was sure they would see heads rolling by the end of the day. They were even more sure when the King held court with her and nearly blew a blood vessel on sight when he saw her.

"You!" He had said, eyes wild.

"Hello, Uther." said Nimueh.

"I told you never to show your face to me again and you have directly disobeyed me. I will see your head on a spike." Uther had said. (Or something vaguely similar, Arthur was sure. His father was always quite regal like that.)

"You may change your mind once I have a word with you in private, Your Highness." said Nimueh.

Arthur still doesn't quite remember how she convinced him to allow it in the first place but eventually Uther made all the guards and bystanders leave and conversed alone with the sorceress. When they emerged from the court room together, Uther looked more at ease, if still slightly wary and asked Arthur to come meet them in his chambers.

"Arthur." his father had said, with the air of someone who demanded the attention in the room. "This is Nimueh. She is -"

The witch cut him off. "I'm your mother's sister."

Arthur was shocked two-fold. One, because his father did not mention his mother at all, let alone ever mention the existence of a sister, and a sorceress sister at that. Two, because no one cut off his father while he talked yet Uther did not seem to mind that much. Perhaps that was the first off putting sign. But despite his shock, Arthur looked at the woman in fascination, because as a boy who had never had any experience or memories or stories of his mother, he craved knowledge like a dehydrated man seeing the ocean for the first time.

In other words, undeniable longing and thirst, but drinking the water would most definitely kill him.

Arthur sat with Nimueh many days, hearing stories of his mother's (Ygraine's, he now knew) youth. She loved the gardens in her home and hid in them just like he did, the sorceress told him. She had the exact same golden blonde hair, the same kindness, the same passion for her people. She wrote her 'R's the same way he did. Arthur listened and he loved and he knew and the salt water clogged his lungs.

***

When Merlin reached Gaius' chambers, the older man hurried forward, towards a large bookcase stacked full of old and aged tomes. Merlin hadn't known pirates liked to read so much. Then again, as he observed this cabin, Gaius seemed less like a pirate and more like the old shaman that used to live in Ealdor, vials of liquids scattered over tables, old book and parchment and scrolls piled, not an inch of room left to put something new down, but when the time came, a place would magically open up.

Gaius began climbing a ladder that Merlin just noticed led up to an even higher up row of old books. "Now, I assume the explosive in there is some sort of powder because it will explode on contact with water but did not explode with Arthur's brutal treatment. So, perhaps, there is some way I can create a way of neutralizing it. Then, we may be able to -" Gaius cut off suddenly with a sharp yelp. Merlin heart stopped and time froze.

When time restarted, Gaius slipped and fell off the ladder and onto a bed that had shifted across the room in less than a second.

The old man groaned before getting up and looking at Merlin with wonder and shock. He approached quickly, one finger raised. "What did you do?"

"Me?" Merlin took an involuntary step back. "Nothing, I didn't do anything. I didn't move it."

"You're a terrible liar, boy." said Gaius and poked Merlin in the chest. "How did you do that?"

"I didn't do anything! That wasn't what it looked like!"

"I know what it was, idiot boy, I want to know where you learned it." Gaius looked at him, calculating. "Did you teleport the bed from that side of the room? How did you move it so fast?"

"I didn't learn it anywhere, I was born like this." Merlin said, worrying at his lip. "And I just moved the bed."

"But it was instant, otherwise you couldn't have saved me in time. And do not lie to me, magic like this has to be learned."

"I'm not lying!" Merlin tried to keep his voice quiet, in order to not be heard by the crew above but the panic was rising. Sorcerers were not treated well and he's sure now when they found out they'd slit his throat right where he stood. "And I just made everything really slow so that I could move it."

Gaius stared at him in shock. "You slowed time? That's impossible."

Merlin rubbed at the back of his neck, nervously. "Please don't tell anyone. I swear I'm not here to hurt anyone, I just needed to escape -"

"Yes, yes," said Gaius distractedly. "I won't tell." He raised one bushy, grey eyebrow and stared at Merlin and Merlin got the distinct, itchy feeling of someone peering into his soul. "You were born being able to do things like this? No incantations or anything?"

"I could move objects before I could talk." Merlin said, desperate to keep Gaius on his side. He didn't quite fancy being thrown overboard and dying in a horrible explosion.

"Unbelievable," Gaius said in wonder. "I need to take a seat."

He sat down on the bed with a sigh and rubbed at his forehead. Merlin took a cautious seat next to the man.

Finally Gaius said "You will have to keep your magic a secret from Arthur, he does not trust sorcerers." Merlin nodded, not daring to say anything that might break Gaius' trust in him. "I suppose you having magic will make this whole anklet thing easier. Go get some rest," He inclined his head towards an extra bed roll in the corner. "I'll show you how to fix broken bones as soon as you wake up. And," He smiled a bit at Merlin, eyes twinkling a bit. "I promise there won't be a sword at your neck when you wake up this time."

Merlin smiled, blindingly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He gave Gaius a huge hug that almost toppled the man over.

"Alright, alright," Gaius said. "Now, go to sleep."

Merlin got up to go but Gaius stilled him with a gentle touch to his arm.

"Merlin," Merlin gave the old man a curious look. Gaius smiled at him gently. "Thank _you_. For saving my life."

***

Merlin resurfaced cautiously, unsure as to whether Arthur's hospitality stopped short of imprisoning him in Gaius' cabin. His ankle felt infinitely better, the magic tome that Gaius had given him providing an amazingly quick solution to a fracture. Gaius said healing bones was risky but because the break was beneath his anklet, it was probably better this way.

Merlin squinted a bit at the bright light, using his hand to shield his eyes. He had forgotten how sunny it was up here. And Merlin tended to sunburn rather than tan so he very much hoped Gaius had some sort of solution to block the sun's harmful rays. He was just thinking about whether the magic book would have some sort of sun shielding spell when he heard someone from his right shout something.

"Moonshine! There you are?" Merlin wondered who had a name like moonshine and tried to look around for someone who looked kind. Gosh, Gaius really should have just come with him, but the old man insisted on trying to work on the explosive problem at hand instead. Merlin, not used to being cooped up in a rocking ship, had finally decided that he was going on the deck, accompanied or not.

His search for a suitable tour guide was interrupted by the shaggy haired man he'd seen before (Gwaine, his mind supplied helpfully) popping up seemingly out of nowhere. "Hey, there," The man said with a cheeky grin. "I called out to you but you didn't look over so I came over instead."

Merlin gave him a confused look.

"Remember," Gwaine gestured a bit vaguely with his hands. "I called out 'Moonshine!' and you just ignored me. It hurts, it really does."

"That's not -" Merlin began to say but was cut off.

"The name's Gwaine, by the way." Merlin thought it was better not to mention that he'd already known that. "Now, I was going to ask you -"

Gwaine was interrupted by someone shouting his name from the prow of the ship. Arthur, Merlin recognized. Gwaine shook his head as if bothered by a particularly annoying fly and opened his mouth to continue, but was interrupted yet again by Arthur. He smiled at Merlin sheepishly. "Princess calls, I guess this will have to wait." Merlin grinned a bit at the nickname he'd given the captain but nodded for Gwaine to be on his way.

As Gwaine walked away, Merlin called out "My name is Merlin, you know."

And Gwaine shouted back "I know!" over his shoulder.

Merlin laughed. And then he was alone again, on his quest to explore the decks. The Golden Dragon (assuming Arthur hadn't changed the name and the legends were true) was a gigantic ship and the size of the deck itself was probably bigger than both his and Will's house combined. Merlin winced as he thought about Will. That was one thing the adrenaline rush had been good for, but now that he'd calmed down and started to settle into the ship, he kept remembering the image of his friend being stabbed in the middle of a street.

Merlin wondered whether someone had been able to help him in time. He liked to hope so. He also kept thinking about his mother. Aredian would surely go back to Ealdor to search for him and Merlin hoped to get some sort of warning back to his mother just in case Will - Merlin's mind broke itself off before the thought could be finished.

He wondered if there was some sort of way of sending letters from the ship. Hawks or whatever pirates use. He sincerely hoped it wasn't glass bottles with notes rolled up and placed inside because that sounded highly inefficient.

"Merlin, right?" Merlin jumped a bit at the sound, not prepared for someone to address him. He looked up to see a dark girl, face framed by gentle brown curls. She smiled at him and Merlin instantly felt at ease. "I'm Guinevere, but most people call me Gwen." She held out a hand for Merlin to shake and he took it with a tentative smile. "I'm The Lady Morgana's maidservant, well, I guess, technically, cabin girl." The Lady Morgana, Merlin wondered, that must have been the woman who had saved his life, Morg. Her name was Morgana, then. That was... odd. Merlin shook off the questions that buzzed, thinking that Gwen wouldn't like it if he bombarded her with those right now.

"The Lady Morgana," said Merlin. "You know, most ships refuse to allow women on board because they say it's bad luck. But this one has both of you."

Gwen laughed. "Well, it's not like we had much of a choice." Merlin stared at her blankly. "I mean," she backtracked. "Not that Arthur forced us aboard or anything. We wanted to come, it's just, I mean, well, I can't tell you, sorry." She bit her lip. "Not that I don't trust you or anything, well, it's just I can't yet because we don't even know you and I..."

"Alright, Gwen." Merlin said with a laugh. "It's fine, you haven't offended me."

Gwen wrung her hands. "Well, yeah. I mean, I'm Morgana's maid but I also work as the Carpenter." Merlin raised his eyebrows at her. "I grew up as a blacksmith's daughter. It wasn't that hard to go from working metal to working wood." She smiled proudly. "And of course, Morgana's the Quarter Master, so she has many duties."

"Morgana's the Quarter Master?" Merlin asked in shock.

"Of course," said Gwen. "There's no one on this ship that Arthur trusts most with leadership. I mean he trusts us all with his life, given our circumstances, but if something were ever to happen to the captain, Gods forbid, the crew would elect Morgana as captain in his place."

"Wow." said Merlin simply.

"What are you 'wow'-ing about?" Morgana had approached where he and Gwen were talking. She still had that fierce look about her that made Merlin double think ever trying to cross her, but at the same time, her face was open, kind, and he found himself wanting to be her friend.

"Merlin didn't know you were the Quarter Master." Gwen said to her and she laughed.

"Well, yes, you think Arthur would listen to anything I had to say otherwise. He's thicker than a brick and more arrogant that he is thick, so you can imagine." Merlin laughed. Gwen shushed the lady.

"Morgana, he could hear you!" she said.

"He knows me, Gwen. It would take more than that to truly offend him." Morgana smiled at Merlin. "So, how are you liking being on the open ocean?"

Merlin blinked. "I mean," he said, hesitantly. "It's... beautiful. But without meaning any offense, I really wish I could be home." He bit his lip, hoping Aredian didn't think to search Ealdor right away.

Morgana gave him a sympathetic look. "Yes, I can understand that." She put a hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry that we cannot take you home, but Dragon's Bay is dangerous territory. I hope you'll be able to get back to your home safely." Merlin nodded at her with a small smile.

Merlin looked out at the massive moving ocean again. "The sea," he said. "It's so... open. I'm not really used to this."

Morgana moved towards the deck railing and Merlin and Gwen followed behind her. The lady leaned against the railing, her eyes closing and Merlin watched her take in a deep breath of the salty ocean air. "I wasn't at first either but now," Morgana stared out at the water, her eyes twinkling with barely concealed excitement. "It's unimaginable that you can travel anywhere. That you could keep sailing forever and possibly many decades from now, still find something you hadn't seen the first time."

Merlin gave her a considering look. "But don't you ever want to just go home?"

Morgana looked at him sadly. "I don't have any home except The Golden Dragon, now."

"I wanted to ask," Merlin said quietly and Morgana looked at him, questioning. "I've heard the stories, of The Golden Dragon and," he swallowed. "Of Arthur." Morgana scrutinized him carefully.

"And?" she asked.

"The things they say, about how the prince murdered his own sister before he left," Merlin said. "His sister named Morgana. And now there's a Lady Morgana on this ship, it seems," he searched for the right word. "An odd coincidence."

Morgana raised a single eyebrow and stared at him for a long time. "Well, Merlin," she said, slowly. "What do you think of coincidences?" She didn't wait for him to answer, beckoning for Gwen to follow her as she walked away.

Coincidences don't exist, Merlin thought to himself.

***

Arthur often thought that Nimueh was like the mother he never had. He knew they were not the same, they did not even look the same, but for the first time in Arthur's young, adolescent life, he had found an adult, somewhat parental figure who cared. Sure, there had been Gaius, but he was a prince and was expected to maintain a boundary between himself and the men who served him. He had learned that when his father gave him a stern talk when he was eight, after Gaius bandaged an injury Arthur had gotten while climbing a tree and he had told Gaius that he loved him.

Gaius had patted his head, with a sad smile, and told him "I love you as well, my boy."

And then Uther told him about royalty and the boundaries that must be maintained.

"We are different from them, Arthur," he had said, sternly. "We must create gaps between us and the common man. We are royalty and as such must have true judgment in everything we decided, unclouded by personal affection."

Arthur told him he didn't understand because that was the kind of thing eight year olds do.

Uther said "If Gaius were to be accused of treason tomorrow, how would you feel about me executing him?"

"Gaius would never do that!" Arthur had gasped, appalled at his father's accusations.

"But he has committed crimes in this case and he will definitely die. Would you be able to make that decision?" Tears pricked in Arthur's eyes. "Exactly, that is why we maintain the boundary."

Uther had patted Arthur's shoulder as he walked away from his crying son. "Our men are men and we are kings. We cannot have friends in this lifetime."

But Nimueh, strange and magical Nimueh who told him about the time his mother learned to ride a horse, and then made a magical sparkling replica of said horse for him to watch, Nimueh was different, wasn't she? She wasn't like the common man because even father seemed to hold her advise in the highest regard.

At first, Arthur was suspicious, but slowly he learned to forget that and accept what seemed to be a new thing. Nimueh was here to stay and Nimueh was family. It was an odd experience for Arthur, being able to consider someone a friend when they were not Uther or Morgana.

Nimueh stopped by his chambers to ask him about his training some days. She spent days strolling in the gardens with him. They had private dinners together where she told him about other members of the house of DuBois. Arthur only told her when he first kissed a girl (yes, at age sixteen, because Arthur may be a prince but he found it hard to find people to really connect with). He told Nimueh when he first kissed a boy too, how different and strange it was but excitingly new and he would definitely have to try that again.

Nimueh had laughed, a twinkling laugh, and told him that he was a prince, it would not and should not matter to anyone which gender he chose to consort with, and that there were sure to be many young boys and girls lining up to be with him.

She often talked about that, how powerful his position as prince was and it made Arthur feel uncomfortable, unlike every other conversation they had. She seemed to be hinting at something but Arthur could never quite pinpoint what it was and it always left him a bit befuddled and just a little uneasy.

Morgana once told him that she did not like Nimueh and he had yelled at her.

"She's like the mother I never had, Morgana, why do you have to be like this?" They had began to argue loudly at this point.

"Arthur," Morgana had said, pleadingly and Arthur's rage died almost instantly. "There's just something about her, the way she talks, the way she holds herself, the way she acts around Uther." Morgana shivered. "I think she frightens me. She makes me feel off about Camelot."

Arthur had stilled and thought about his occasional discomfort and the similar feelings Morgana was describing but finally shook it off.

"She is my friend and family, Morgana. You are allowed to feel the way you feel, but do not speak such accusations to me again." Morgana had later told him that that was the first time she had ever seen Arthur look like a young Uther.

Somehow, all the patterns and strange rituals they found themselves following began to lead to something. Arthur never quite managed to figure out what it was.

But when Morgana turned twenty and set her curtains on fire in her sleep, all hell broke loose.

***

"I'm Lancelot." Gentle brunette said, with a easy smile and Merlin instantly felt relaxed, like this man could never let any harm come to him.

"Hello, Lancelot. Merlin." He held out his hand and Lancelot shook it happily.

"I know that, of course, I was there yesterday." He gave Merlin a comforting look. "I'm meant to be showing you around."

"Making sure I stay out of trouble?" Merlin questioned, glancing over at where Arthur was watching them carefully.

"Something like that." Lancelot laughed. "Come on, then."

He showed Merlin around the ship, introducing him to the other crew members and their roles on board. Gwaine was actually Sailing Master, which Merlin thought was surprising because he didn't think Gwaine looked like the man with the discipline to be a navigator. Lancelot assured him Gwaine was much smarter than he sounded. Leon, a tall redheaded man was the ship's Master Gunner and Lancelot told him that Leon and Arthur planned combat together when it came to something like that. Apparently, Leon had many years of military experience and had been knighted by the King himself, before joining the crew, of course.

He met Elyan, Gwen's younger brother who was also her First Mate, though Lancelot told him that was pretty much decided before they even boarded the ship. Gwen and Elyan both had the experience needed to learn how to a Carpenter. Lancelot gushed for quite a while about Gwen and her accomplishments and Merlin guessed there might be something there and wondered whether Lancelot realized how close Gwen and the Lady Morgana seemed to be.

Lastly, Lancelot himself was the ship's Boatswain and Percival was his First Mate. Lancelot told him that Percival, in general, took care of most of the heavy lifting and anchor dropping and hauling. Looking at Percival, a huge mass of a man, Merlin could see why.

When Lancelot finished showing Merlin around and introducing the crew, they stopped at the prow of the boat, Merlin staring in wonder at the gigantic dragon figurehead.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Lancelot said, with a proud smile.

"She is." Merlin scrunched up his forehead in confusion. "You ever get the feeling that it seems alive?"

Lancelot laughed. "Just a myth, Merlin, sadly. Our ship doesn't sprout wings or breathe fire or fly."

"I mean, I know, it's just..." he stared at the figurehead and felt his mind drifting.

Lancelot just gave him a strange look. The ocean waves crashed behind them and it sounded strangely like a rumbling noise. "Anyway," Merlin shook himself to break his trance. "I was wondering, Lancelot, if there was any way for me to send letters back home while I'm on here."

Lancelot gave him a pitying look. "Look, Merlin," he started, wearing an expression that depressed Merlin but also made Lancelot impossible to hate. "Of course, you would have to ask Arthur to know for sure, but I'm almost going to guarantee that the answer is no."

"Ask me what?" The captain's voice came out of nowhere and Merlin nearly jumped off the side of the boat.

Lancelot looked at Merlin expectantly.

"Well," he started, turning to Arthur with a neutral face. "If I'd be able to have some way to contact home. Do you send letters on here? Messenger alligators or something?"

Arthur gave him a strange look. "We have ravens, not alligators." Merlin waved his hand absently as if to say same difference. "Also, there is no way I'm going to let you send messages to someone while you are on my ship. It could put all of us in danger and I'm not prepared to take that risk. You can send your messages after we're long gone."

"But, it's urgent!" Merlin blurted, cursing himself for not thinking first.

"Urgent? What is so urgent?" Arthur glared at him imperiously.

"I..." Merlin didn't know how to explain that the life of his mother was at stake without telling him the truth. And Arthur was bound to know who Aredian was. "I just need to talk to my mother." Arthur raised his eyebrows at him.

"Missing mummy, are we?"

"Yes." Merlin said, voice hard and cold and Arthur was taken aback slightly. "Honestly, you can read the message and everything and I'll tell you what address I'm sending it to." Merlin looked at him pleading. "I'm begging you to just let me do this. You'll be able to hunt her down if something goes wrong or I betray you."

Arthur gave him a pitying look. "I'm sorry, Merlin, but I can't. My men are under my protection and I won't risk their lives for anything." Merlin sagged with defeat. "I won't even know if the address is really your mother's or if you're writing in code." He shook his head. "No, I cannot allow it. If you wish, you can give me the address and I'll write a brief note telling her you're alright."

"Never mind." Merlin said, with a deep sigh. He looked away from Arthur and stared out at the sea.

"Look, I..." Arthur started to say but Merlin stopped him.

"I'm sorry, _Captain_ , but I think Gaius said he needed me back soon. I should go." And with that, Merlin all but ran from the deck.

Arthur rubbed at his forehead. He couldn't be feeling sympathetic for prisoners, he thought despairingly. He shook his head and walked towards the wheel. He had given the boy a chance, that was what mattered.

"Lancelot?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"Can I get a status report, please?"

"Right away."

***

He picked the flag design carefully.

At first Arthur was tempted to just use the Pendragon crest. It would make a statement certainly but he needed the world to know the split was clear.

He didn't want his dad being responsible for his "crimes".

So, he redesigned the crest, with Gwen's help because she was surprisingly good at that sort of thing and then Morgana helped stitch it together (though that was the one and only time she'd admit her mom taught her how to cross-stitch as a kid).

The midnight black flag with Pendragon red dragon above the standard crossed red pirate swords flew proudly.

Arthur did not kill, but rumours of The Bloody Prince made sure they didn't have to create any more of a name for themselves. People believed that when the flag was seen, blood would run.

People and their superstitions.

***

Merlin was woken by a rumbling in the middle of the night.

This was not a strange thing these days. He found it hard to get used to sleeping on a rocking ship, though Gwen assured him that he'd be able to sleep soundly with time. Gaius made him lots of seasickness potions to take at night but he was getting better at coping already.

Hopefully, in Gaius' words, not for much longer though because he was almost sure he had found an explosive neutralization and after he had run a few tests, they'd see how it went. Merlin didn't know how he felt about being dropped in the middle of the ocean and left to find a way back to some shore, somewhere, probably not even Camelot.

The rumbling that woke Merlin up was different this time. It didn't sound the way waves crashing against the side of the boat did; it sounded, and Merlin realized this may just be the myths talking, like a beast.

The rumbling grew louder.

Merlin padded to his feet, trying to pinpoint the location of the noise, making sure to step softly and surely, so as to not wake Gaius up. That would be an odd question to answer. "Oh, yes, Gaius, I was just off to find the legendary dragon spirit in the middle of the night, no big deal." They wouldn't just drop him in the ocean, they'd have him institutionalized somewhere.

That's when Merlin heard it. The rumbling, which had become yet again louder, was now saying something. _Merlin_ , it whispered and Merlin shivered. This was insane, he thought to himself. He continued on his quest.

The noise led him to a room in the hull of the ship. The noise was deafeningly loud, a deep voice growling the name Merlin over and over again.

"Where are you?" he asked in a whisper, slightly desperate. He turned from right to left, trying to find anything in the room that looked out of place.

 _Forward_ , the voice whispered.

He stepped forward, and stumbled over something on the floor. " **Leoht**." he whispered, utilizing one of the spells he'd found in Gaius' tome. As the light fell on the floor, Merlin gasped.

The entire floor was covered in intricate carvings of scales and other patterns that swirled towards the centre where Merlin stood. Where he had tripped, there was a small projection in the form of a dragon's head, surprisingly similar looking to the figurehead up top. However, this dragon wasn't marred by dirt and time, it was pure and gold.

And that's when it talked. "Merlin." it said.

Merlin bit his fist, hard, to avoid screaming. He stared at the dragon head in horror as its lips curled into a thin smile. There was a crackling noise and Merlin was scared he was going to be burnt alive for a second before he realized the thing was laughing.

"Stop laughing at me!" he said, whisper-shouting so he wouldn't be heard by the whole boat. "And how does your constant noise not wake everyone on this ship up?" Merlin decided not to press ahead with the more obvious questions like how was there a talking wooden dragon in the hull of the ship. No big deal, right?

He was probably going mad.

"Young warlock," The dragon said, and Merlin stiffened. "I have been waiting to meet you for so very long."

"You've been waiting... to meet me?" Merlin asked in confusion.

"Of course, Merlin," the dragon rumbled. "I have foreseen your coming since before your ancestors were born." Merlin stared at the dragon blankly, unsure of what to say in response. "I cannot believe it took you so long to get here, however."

"Sorry, mate, didn't actually know I had an appointment with a talking wooden dragon-ship-thing." said Merlin.

The dragon did its weird crackling laughter thing again. "Your tardiness is not your fault, young warlock, it is all destiny." Merlin personally thought maybe he wasn't mad, maybe the dragon was the actual insane one. Then again, the dragon was most likely a figment of his imagination so in the end.... "I'm not a figment of your imagination, Merlin." The dragon interrupted.

"You can read my mind, now?" he asked, incredulously.

"I have many abilities man does not and talking is not the only way one can communicate." The wooden dragon gave Merlin a calculating look. "I am here to tell you about your destiny, young warlock. Surely you've heard of the stories of the last great dragon being imprisoned in a boat."

"I thought those were just tales." Merlin said, weakly.

The dragon hissed. "If only it were so. What I would give to snap Nimueh's neck between my jaws for the injustice she did to me. I helped her and she betrayed me in such a way." Merlin shivered slightly from the pure hatred. "I will never again trust so easily."

Merlin shuffled a bit. "What's my destiny you mentioned?" he asked, breaking the tense air of the conversation.

"Why, your destiny to bring about the greatest age Albion has ever known, Merlin."

"Me?" Merlin asked, eyes wide. "How would I do that?" He frowned at the dragon. "That's an awful lot to be asking after we've only just met."

"I am not asking, young warlock, it merely is." The dragon said. "Arthur is the Once and Future King of Albion and you are the one who will help him achieve it and become the greatest king the land has ever known."

Merlin was the one to laugh this time. "I don't know how long you've been trapped down here, but in case you haven't noticed, Arthur's not really even the prince of Camelot anymore. How on earth do you expect that prat to become the king of Albion? He's a pirate."

"Not all is as it seems, young warlock, and not all is as it will be." The dragon said with a mysterious flash of its teeth.

"Real clear, thanks. Absolutely crystal."

"I am here to tell you your destiny, and help you find your way. You will achieve it on your own, whether you believe me or not."

Merlin stared at the dragon head and sighed. "I really need to get more sleep." he said.

"We will talk again, Merlin." The dragon said as he walked away from the room.

When Merlin woke up again, he decided it was probably some kind of weird fever induced, seasickness dream. And he refused to go down to the hull to check or think about how real the carvings felt under his bare feet.

***

"Arthur, there's a storm coming in." Gwaine's voice was sharper, not as easygoing as it usually was.

Arthur nodded, jaw tight. "Morgana?"

"I can give us protection for an hour, maybe more." she said, raising her hands already.

"Wait until it comes in. We need to save our time." he used his hand to still hers. "And Morgana?" she looked at him questioningly. "Only an hour. Last time you did more than that, you almost passed out remember?"

Morgana batted his hand away and Gwen rubbed the small of her back in comfort.

Merlin watched the scene in fascination.

When the storm hit, he was still on deck. "Merlin! What are you doing here!?" Arthur shouted at him, and Merlin looked at him with curious wonder, but his eyes were focused on Morgana.

Her hands were moving in circular motion, as she muttered words and Merlin watched closely as the motions seemed to generate a shield of sorts to cover the ship. He gasped, his heart pounding, feeling the tingling magic in the air, the magic that Arthur approved of. He wouldn't have to hide.

"Merlin, stop dawdling and go!" Merlin didn't move and soon felt arms dragging him backwards and he tried to fight against them.

He was unceremoniously pushed into the door leading to the cabins. "Listen to me when I tell you what to do, Merlin!" Arthur shouted, an offending finger pushed in his face. Merlin had never seen Arthur this heated.

"I was just -" Merlin started to say but didn't finish.

"You could have died!" Arthur was red in the face now, glaring and furious. "That anklet of yours explodes on contact with water, you could have gotten the whole ship killed!" Arthur's voice dropped lower, became colder. "You're on my ship and I'm responsible for you, do not ever do that again." And with that, and a swirl of his long brown coat, Arthur was gone, the door to the deck slammed behind him.

Merlin ran towards Gaius' room.

***

"Gaius!" Merlin said, excitement teeming from every pore of his body. He felt like he was shaking and the world was standing still all at once.

"Merlin, there you are!" Gaius said, harshly. "Sit down, storms are fierce and you could hurt yourself."

"Gaius!" He repeated and almost ran towards the old man. "Morgana! She's a sorceress. She has magic!"

Gaius sighed. "Merlin -" he began to say, but Merlin was off again.

"I mean, that means Arthur doesn't disapprove, right?" Merlin rambled, pacing while stumbling occasionally as the ship rocked dangerously to the side. "His own sister uses magic, he can't possibly hate magic users. That means, I could have a real purpose here; I could offer to help maybe, right? Morgana could only work that shielding spell for an hour but together we could get at least two hours of cover. And if I have a purpose, I could stay, because I think I'm quite starting to like it here and..." Merlin paused and turned to look at Gaius. "Wait, why did you tell me that Arthur doesn't trust magic when his own sister is a witch?"

Gaius let out a deep breath. He rubbed at his forehead wearily before answering. "Merlin, Arthur trusts Morgana because she is his sister. He has known her since he was a boy. They've been through so much together." He gave Merlin a pitying look. "He's not likely to trust a sorcerer that came into his life out of nowhere by pure chance, not after the life he's lead so far. Not after Nimueh."

"Nimueh?" Merlin asked.

***

When Morgana was eighteen years old, she saw someone executed for the practice of sorcery and screamed at Uther about it. She still remembers storming into the courtroom in a fury-filled swoosh of her dress, and yelling at the king about his hypocrisy. Nimueh stood behind him, as his advisor, and yet he still persecuted others who wished to practice magic, and where was the justice in that?

Uther had her imprisoned in the dungeons for a day. Morgana remembers Nimueh coming down to see her. She looked at Morgana coldly and told her "Do not presume to tell a king what to do."

"That's rich coming from you." Morgana had said with a sneer.

"Remember who holds the power in this court, Morgana." Nimueh said in that creeping way of hers and Morgana looked at her with sudden horror. "You are a guest. You could be made to leave at any point." And with that she left Morgana to shiver in the cold.

When Morgana was nineteen years old, Uther arranged for them to meet in court, and announced to Camelot that Morgana was his daughter.

Morgana was furious with him and so, it seemed, was Nimueh. She remembers standing outside Uther's chambers, listening in as they argued.

"You didn't tell me, Uther, how could you not tell me?" said Nimueh. "You tell me _everything_!" The way she hissed the word everything made it seem like there was a different meaning behind the word.

"I do tell you everything. You are my advisor, Nimueh." said Uther. "I wanted to tell you about this but I thought I should let Morgana know first. Don't you trust me?"

"I do trust you," said Nimueh. "But you, apparently, do not trust me enough," she paused. "Yet."

Morgana fled the chambers before she could be caught eavesdropping. Nimueh still managed to corner her in a corridor later that week and tell her that Arthur was the heir to Camelot, no matter what blood claim she may have. Morgana nodded hard and hurried away from the _witch_. Later, she told Arthur she did not like Nimueh and he yelled at her.

Something was happening in Camelot and Morgana could not figure out what it was.

Then, when Morgana was twenty, she awoke from a nightmare, and her eyes glowed golden.

"My lady, did you forget to blow out the candles?" Gwen asked, fussing around a shaky Morgana in her worry, trying to fix the room and make sure nothing else could spontaneously burst into flames.

"Gwen?" she finally asked, unsure of where to proceed from here.

"Yes, my lady?" said Gwen.

"Can you get Arthur for me?" he would help her. He had to. They were family.

Gwen placed a gentle hand on Morgana's shoulder. "Arthur?" she asked. "You're sure you don't want me to get the King? Or perhaps Gaius to make sure you're alright?"

"Please, Gwen," she said, slightly more frantic this time. "Get Arthur for me, now."

Gwen got Arthur.

"Morgana, what happened in here? How are these all burnt?" he gave her a concerned look. "Did you forget to blow out the candles? You could have been hurt."

"Arthur, sit down." was all she said. Staring at the wall in silence until Arthur took a seat next to her on her bed.

"Are you alright, Morg?" he asked.

"Arthur," she said. "I didn't forget to blow out the candles last night. In fact, I didn't even light the candles last night. I went to bed early."

"That's ridiculous," said Arthur. "How else would -"

"I set the fire." she said and Arthur froze.

"You?" he said hesitantly. "Why would you? Did something happen? Were you attacked?"

"Arthur," she said, turning to look him in the eyes and placing a hand over his. "I think I have magic." she said in a panicked hiss.

Arthur's face went blank. "Why would you have magic? There's no way that just happens by accident, Morgana, what are you -"

"Arthur, stop. I set that fire. I know I did. I woke up from one of my nightmares and I felt what was happening." she froze and looked at him with fear. "I don't know how I did it, Arthur. I'm scared."

Arthur got up and started pacing. "We have to tell father." he said eventually.

Morgana stood up as well. "We can't. He doesn't like sorcery, Arthur! What if he -" her voice broke and tears pricked at her eyes. It wasn't Uther she was truly afraid of, though, it was Nimueh.

"No, Morgana, okay, he won't do anything to you." Arthur said firmly. "He trusts Nimueh, right? And she's a sorceress, and she's family." he smiled sadly at her. "And what are you to us, if not family?" he gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze before turning to leave. "Besides, I won't let them do anything to you."

And he was out the door before Morgana could yell at him to wait.

She sat down on her bed, the dread pooling in the pit of her stomach.

***

The storm had been a rough one, shattering a section of the mizzenmast. Gwen was currently up on top of the mast trying to fix it, with Elyan (and Lancelot from a ways off) spotting her from below. Morgana hadn't emerged from her chambers since her shielding spell and Merlin was led to believe she was still resting a day later.

"We're going to have to stop somewhere to get a new sail." Arthur sighed, resigned. "Morgana's in no state to help patch it up at the moment and..."

"And without the mizzenmast we can't even properly steer the ship." Gwaine finished, his face stoic in a way Merlin hadn't seen before. He was usually all over Arthur with complaints about how the bread tasted like rusk and the cheese smelled strange. And Arthur was usually in a mood to tell Gwaine to shut up before he made him walk the plank.

Merlin approached where they stood slowly. Arthur, of course, heard him come up anyway.

"Yes, what do you need?" he asked with an annoyed face and for the first time since Merlin had met him, Arthur didn't seem like just a prat, but more like someone who was trying their hardest to keep a family together and safe.

"Um," he said, suddenly at a loss for what to say. Arthur stared at him, expectantly. "Gaius said he can get the bracelet off and we were about to remove it but he told me to get you first." Arthur nodded solemnly and strode off in the direction of Gaius' cabin. Merlin looked at Gwaine who gave him a significant look, probably to say "follow him!"

They walked in silence, Arthur still grim and trying to figure out what to do about his ship, while Merlin was at a loss for how to talk to someone who was going to leave him to drown in a few hours probably.

"Ah, Arthur," Gaius said as they entered, gesturing for them both to take a seat. He walked over to his table and picked up a liquid in a small stoppered bottle and approached Merlin. "I found a way to neutralize the explosive. When you broke the tracker, sire, you left a small crack where I was able to extract some of the powder that was inside." He used a dropper to draw some of the liquid out of the bottle. "We can use the same break to apply this liquid to what's inside."

Gaius looked at Merlin. "You ready?" he asked.

"As ever," said Merlin, hoping those wouldn't be his last words.

Gaius carefully dropped five drops of the liquid into the tracker through the break in the plastic. There was a loud crackling noise and the three men were stiff and watched the anklet carefully. After a few (twenty-eight, Merlin's mind counted diligently) seconds of the noise, it abruptly stopped. Gaius waited another minute, watching the bracelet carefully, before finally saying "I think it's safe to be removed now."

Arthur gave the bracelet and Merlin a considering look before nodding his consent.

Gaius grabbed the large metal pliers sitting on his desk. He attached them to the anklet with a loud clanking. Once the pliers were firm in their hold, Gaius twisted the handle. There was a screeching sound but after what felt like a small eternity, there was a snap, and the anklet popped open, falling to the floor.

"Well," said Arthur. "That was much less dramatic than I thought it would be."

"Says the man not attached to the explosive," said Merlin, his heart still pounding hard. With the added weight gone, his foot felt strange and free, yet odd in its new exposure.

"Where can we dispose of it?" Arthur asked Gaius.

"We could toss it in the ocean now. It's completely useless." he said and Arthur nodded firmly.

"See to it that it is taken care of. I don't want that on my ship." he turned to Merlin. "I'm going to give you a few days to say your goodbyes since you seem to have grown attached and made," Arthur paused. "Friends." he finally said, with a slight grimace.

Merlin nodded at him, rubbing absent-mindedly at his now empty feeling ankle.

As Arthur walked away, Merlin thought about how he had absolutely no idea where he was in the world right now. A little boy who had never even left the village of Ealdor before now came to be stranded in the middle of the ocean; It made Merlin nervous.

***

"Captain, Gwaine said there's somewhere we can dock to buy a sail less than a day away." Lancelot said. "It would be useful to stop, we need to stock up on more food anyway."

"Yes, I suppose we can stop. It would probably be a better place to leave Merlin, too." Lancelot was about to leave when Arthur asked. "Is Morgana doing alright? Did you ask Guinevere?"

Lancelot blushed, like he always did when Gwen was mentioned, and nodded. "She's started keeping her meals down again." he said, with a slight grimace. "Gwen said she'll be better by the morrow."

Arthur nodded. "Ask Gaius if he needs any supplies when we dock as well."

"Of course."

Arthur sat down at his desk and felt very tired.

***

"Is this true?" Uther had asked. "You have magic? How long have you been practicing sorcery under my nose, in my own care?" He was glaring at Morgana who seemed to be withering where she stood.

"She hasn't, my lord." said Arthur. "She said it just happened. She doesn't know how she did it."

"What?" said Nimueh. "Nonsense, one doesn't just accidentally do magic! You'd have to be -" she stopped abruptly, looking at Morgana, her eyes narrowed and calculating.

"What if," said Arthur. "What if you don't choose magic? What if it chooses you?"

Uther stared at Arthur for a long time, his chin resting in his hand. Morgana seemed to be melting into a shadow to hide behind Arthur's protective stance.

"Uther," said Nimueh. "Can we talk in private?"

"Whatever you want to say, you can say in front of us." Morgana interrupted finally, her voice starting small but growing with power as she continued. "Why have secrets, when we are all kin?" The last word was whispered, as Morgana fiercely stared down Nimueh.

Arthur looked between the two in confusion as they seemed to hold some sort of silent argument.

Finally, Nimueh said "Alright, I have nothing to hide." she put a hand on Uther's shoulder and he looked over at her. "My King, I do not mean this in offense, because she is your daughter and I love her as well as you," she paused and looked over at Morgana. "But a sorceress who can accidentally do magic is a danger to herself as well as those around her."

Morgana looked at her in horror. She hadn't thought Nimueh would be this blatant about how she felt, especially in front of Arthur.

"Now, wait a minute -" Arthur started to say but Uther raised a hand to cut him off.

"Are you trying to tell me, Nimueh, that I should persecute my own daughter? When I have held you in my court with such high honour?" Uther's eyes were hard as he stared at the sorceress and Morgana had the briefest flutter of hope.

"Morgana has done nothing wrong, Nimueh." said Arthur. They were on her side; Morgana could hardly believe it.

Nimueh smiled and leaned closer to Uther. "I am saying, sire," she was squeezing his shoulder slightly now, her thumb rubbing in small circles. "That natural born witches have too much power that not even they can control. She should be locked away, for her own good." she was almost purring as she said the last part and Morgana took an involuntary step back as Uther turned to look at her carefully.

"I suppose," the King said. "I suppose you're right." his voice was flat and that's when Morgana knew something was very, very wrong. "Guards."

The soldiers in the peripheral corners of the room stepped towards Morgana. Arthur unsheathed his sword. "Father, what are you doing? This is madness!" he looked desperately at Nimueh. "She only needs someone to train her, and look out for her."

"It's for her own well-being, Arthur, dear." Nimueh said, fake charm oozing out of every pore in her body. "Take the witch away. And if the prince gets in the way," she gave Arthur a pitying look. "Confine him to his chambers."

"No! You can't do this!" Arthur shouted. Morgana struggled as guards grabbed her arms. She watched as one of them struck Arthur in the back of the head and he crumbled.

Morgana screamed and windows shattered. And then she lost consciousness.

***

Merlin wandered through the markets with Lancelot, looking for the right places to buy the ingredients Gaius had told him about. Arthur and Percival were up ahead, looking for food to restock their stores.

Technically, Merlin was free now. The ship was set to leave in a day and they were not taking Merlin with them. It was a better deal than swimming towards some unknown location, but Merlin couldn't bring himself to be happy, for some reason.

He could really go anywhere from here. However, something possessed him to stay, to help in what ways he could. He did, after all, know more than Lancelot about what Gaius needed, and Gaius himself did not like to leave the comfort of his rooms very often. Old bones, he kept telling Merlin.

Arthur had been giving him questioning, suspicious looks the whole trip, but Merlin decided to pointedly ignore Arthur's scorn.

When they returned to The Golden Dragon, everything was oddly silent. It made Merlin uneasy, the normally bustling, busy ship seeming so empty. It felt like death.

The rest of them didn't notice but Lancelot paused as Merlin went still, looking around the ship.

"Merlin, are you okay?"

Merlin shook his head as Arthur asked "Where is everyone?" loudly enough to wake up a kingdom.

"There's something wrong." Merlin said, and that's when they heard the singing.

The song sounded like the sea felt. Intoxicating, deep, and a lulling sound that made the listener want to relax, let whatever happen and the world take its course. Yet underneath the soothing tone, was a sinister note of danger. Arthur, Lancelot, and Percival all stopped at the sound of the song, their legs a bit unsteady. He watched as the three became less and less concentrated, Lancelot and Percival both actually sitting down on the ground while Arthur leaned against the railing with a sigh of content.

Merlin covered his ears quickly.

He looked around wildly trying to spot where the music was coming from. That's when he saw the tall lady standing on the other side of the ship. Around her, the crew had dropped like flies, cobwebs curling and growing around where they slept. He watched as dust gathered over Arthur as well. In horror, he tried to find some way to stop what was happening.

She was singing louder now, with more intensity and Merlin saw a flash as she took a knife out from a hidden pocket in her dress. Merlin stopped thinking.

His eyes flashed gold and he looked behind the singing lady where the torn mast stood. " **Byre, ic bod**. **Fylgan**." he whispered, and he braced himself as a great gust of wind blew forward, carrying the broken mast with it, and sending it crashing into the singing lady.

There was silence and Merlin briefly wondered whether the sleeping spell was permanent, and then Arthur groaned and Merlin let out a short sigh of relief. He wouldn't have known what to do with an entire crew that was under a sleeping curse.

"What happened?" Arthur asked. Merlin was about to answer but was cut off by a shrill scream.

The woman had somehow recovered from being hit by the mast, and though still half buried underneath it, she managed to retrieve the knife and threw it straight at Arthur.

Merlin froze time and dove to push the captain out of the way. He crashed into Arthur, sending them both tumbling to the ground and the knife stuck the wood behind where Arthur stood. There was a groan and Merlin looked over to see the woman lose consciousness.

"You saved my life." Arthur said, his voice betraying a slight tone of wonder.

"Must you act so surprised?" Merlin asked.

"I just didn't know you had any talents, that's all." Arthur said roughly, pushing Merlin off him so he could get to his feet.

Prat, Merlin thought viciously.

"What happened?" Arthur asked the crew as they slowly came to their senses as well. "Who is this? And what was she doing here?"

Morgana was the first to answer. "She said something about feeling the pull of great magic. Said she needed the ship to command it for herself." Morgana shivered a bit. "Then, she started to sing and..." she trailed off, gesturing the cobweb covered ship.

Arthur looked concerned. He looked over at the woman who was still passed out. "You think she was after you?" he asked Morgana and she shrugged. "Well, we were lucky that the mast fell and stopped her. It was a miracle."

Miracles and coincidences, Merlin thought to himself.

Gwaine smiled at Merlin. "Princess, I think you were also pretty lucky that Moonshine was here to save your life."

Arthur scowled and Merlin rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yes, yes," said Arthur. "Merlin saved my life." he waved a hand at the crew. "Make preparations to leave. We're setting sail as soon as possible."

The crew rushed off to do their jobs and Merlin watched for a bit before turning away to look out over the ocean. This was probably the last he'd ever be on a ship at all, unless he somehow bought himself passage back to Camelot. He looked out over the open ocean. Morgana may have been right about being able to sail forever. If this ship was his home, there wasn't anything that would stop him.

"Homesick?" Arthur's voice startled him as it came up from behind.

"No," Merlin said. "Seasick, I think." Arthur opened his mouth, his forehead furrowed in confusion and Merlin spoke before he could ask. "Not seasick like that. More like..." Merlin looked out at the open sea and his heart lifted. "I'm going to miss this, I think."

Arthur gave him a strange look. They stood there in silence before Arthur said "Listen -"

"Yes, yes, I know, time for me to leave." said Merlin with a sigh.

Arthur shook his head and Merlin gave him a curious look. "I meant..." Arthur trailed off, his hands clenching against the ships railing and Merlin wondered what was so hard for Prince Prat to say. "Why did you save me?" he finally asked. "I mean, I thought you hated me." he looked at Merlin. "I basically kept you captive. And I'm The Bloody Prince or whatever they're calling me nowadays."

Merlin smiled at him. "Well, you're not that bad." Arthur snorted.

"Thanks, that is some real high praise right there."

"Shut up, what I meant is," Merlin looked at Arthur with considering eyes. "I couldn't let you die. You're," he bit his lip and frowned a bit. "You're a good man, Arthur, a good... Captain. Maybe the tales are just that, you know, tales."

He grinned at Arthur who looked slightly taken aback.

"Of course, I also wanted to see your ego have to admit that I saved your life but that was more of a bonus." Arthur whacked the back of his head. "Ow! Okay, no, I take it back. Terrible captain, honestly, the worst." But they were both grinning now.

"You know," Arthur began slowly. "Maybe you don't have to leave."

Merlin gave him a disbelieving look. "What are you saying?" he asked, slowly.

"I'm saying," Arthur said, looking Merlin in the eyes now. "That I may have need of a cabin boy and well, if you didn't want to leave, I mean, you don't have to stay, it's just..." he trailed off. "Never mind, it's fine."

"You know, my mother always said I had a knack for cleaning things." Merlin said, stopping Arthur from continuing. "I guess cabin boy wouldn't be that bad." he suddenly gave Arthur a look. "Wait, the rumours aren't true, though, right? That cabin boys also have to... you know," he looked at Arthur, uncomfortable. " _Do things_."

Arthur stared at him solemnly. "I'm afraid that would be part of your duties, Merlin." He put a hand on Merlin's shoulder and squeezed slightly. "The men, they get restless out at sea, they need a way to relieve their stress, you know. I'm sure you could do the job, though. You're a very pretty man."

Merlin stared at him in absolute horror. Arthur held the serious look for all of ten seconds before bursting out laughing.

"That's not funny!" Merlin shouted, smacking Arthur in the shoulder.

Arthur was bent over, still howling with laughter. "You actually believed it, oh, my God." he was wiping tears from his eyes. "That was absolutely priceless, just the look on your face."

"You are an utter prat."

Arthur grinned. "I'm still a great Captain, though, according to you."

"I hate you."

"Now, _Mer_ lin, don't be like that." Merlin huffed. "Do you think you'd have a knack for that sort of thing, too?" Arthur waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Merlin.

"I am definitely not staying anywhere with you."

"Sorry, Merlin, I already hired you as my cabin boy. Guess you're stuck with me." he grinned at Merlin who gave him a withering look. Arthur kept smiling until he saw the corner of Merlin's mouth begin to twitch, betraying how he really felt.

"So, cabin boy." Merlin said. "Is that a lot of work? Or would I get to laze about this ship like you do?"

Now, it was Arthur's turn to glare. "Well, _Mer_ lin," he said. "If that's your attitude, then I suppose you can begin with your duties right now." Merlin looked at him curiously. "You can clean up the dust and cobwebs all over this ship."

"Sorry, never mind, I quit."

"We're setting sail, it's too late." he patted Merlin on the back firmly. "Get to it." Merlin groaned. "Yes, I know, such hard work. Turns out you'll actually have to earn your stay if you want to loiter around on my ship."

"You're staying, then?" Gwaine had come up towards them at some point.

Merlin laughed, the emotions rolling around inside him. "Yeah, I am, I suppose."

Gwaine patted his back with a grin. Merlin winced a bit. These brutish men and their back-patting. He'd have a gigantic bruise once all this was through.

"I'm going to go see what to do about our talented singing guest." Arthur said, taking a few steps away. "And Merlin?" Merlin looked up at him from where he was sitting looking out over the open ocean which sat wide for the taking. "Thank you for..." Arthur gave a slight incline of his head in the direction of the witch's unconscious body.

Merlin merely nodded in answer. He knew.

***

"Why are you doing this?" Arthur asked Nimueh, his face etched with stress, worry, and simmering anger. And betrayal.

Nimueh stood just inside the doors of Arthur's chambers and gave him a significant look.

"I need to ensure Camelot's safety." was all she said in reply.

And then she was gone.

***

Arthur finally let Merlin use one of the ravens. It seemed saving the prat's life did have its perks. He wouldn't presume to say Arthur quite trusted him; there was always the suspicious look over the shoulder, the slight lingering in his gaze, the frown Merlin occasionally caught.

But there was something else there too. Merlin couldn't describe it other than that they were building something. Something new and Merlin hoped it was something good.

Merlin was surprised to learn that apparently Arthur was some kind of strange bird whisperer. He cared for them and saw to their maintenance, except when it came to cleaning as that was usually left to Percival, who had a knack for working with birds.

"So, how do the ravens know where to come back to?" he asked, side-eyeing Arthur who was practically cooing at the birds.

Arthur stroked one raven lightly as he answered. "They're smarter than they look, Merlin," he said. "unlike you."

"That's rude and uncalled for."

"A lot like your presence in my life."

"Is it really too late to get off this ship?" asked Merlin.

"We're three days out to sea, but you know, you can always walk the plank."

Merlin huffed and rolled up the note to his mother. He only hoped it wouldn't be too late. He looked at Arthur, uncertainly. "Do you..." he held the note out a bit reluctantly.

Arthur stared at him and then the rolled up piece of paper for a while before, just as reluctantly, shaking his head. "No, it's fine," he said. "It's not like you know our location or anything."

Merlin smiled slightly. "So, how does this whole raven thing work?" he asked. "Do I just tie it to its leg and then whisper where it should go in its ear?"

"Yes."

"You're shitting me." Merlin said, giving an Arthur a look that said he thought Arthur was incredibly thick.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Give me the bloody note." Merlin handed it over and watched, fascinated, as the bird held out its leg for Arthur to attach the piece of paper. He then picked it up and moved towards the porthole window. Merlin followed. "Ready?" he asked Merlin, who nodded. "Tell her where to go."

Merlin did and Arthur practically threw the bird out the window.

And, with a distant flutter of wings, it was out of sight. "That's amazing." Merlin said.

"Yes," Arthur said.

***

Arthur tied bed sheets together and escaped through his three story high window. And then he ran to find Gaius.

"My boy, how did you...?" Gaius looked years older than Arthur had ever thought before.

"We need to stop Nimueh." was all Arthur said.

Gaius looked weary, skinnier than he used to be, his robes hanging off him in an unflattering manner. "Arthur, I..." he began but trailed off.

"No, Gaius, do not give me that. We need to save Morgana." he gave Gaius a pleading look. "She's family."

"I don't know how we could possibly -"

"I came here to get your help," Arthur stated simply and firmly. "I assumed that you would have a more subtle plan than I but if you're unwilling, I'm getting her out anyway. With or without your help."

Gaius sighed deeply, before standing up and walking towards his library. He took a heavy book off the shelf and flipped through it before pausing.

"I may have an idea," he said. "but I need you to play your part, sire."

Arthur looked at him in confusion. "What do you want to do?"

"We're going to kill the Lady Morgana."

***

Merlin could hear the rumbling voice again. He had hoped he wouldn't have to deal with mystical dragon carvings ever again, but it seemed fate was not on his side in this regard.

Well, not fate, destiny, he supposed.

Merlin tried to ignore the voice but when it started calling out his name, he got up. Deciding to get this over with, he made his way to the hidden room in the hull. He wondered whether anyone else knew about this place. He didn't dare mention the talking dragon to anyone, fearing them questioning his sanity. At this moment, he was sort of questioning his own sanity.

"Ah, young warlock," the dragon said. "We finally meet again."

"What do you want?" Merlin said brusquely. He really would rather be sleeping than listening to ancient dragons and their silly riddles. Honestly, the thing had barely given him a single straight answer last time other than "destiny".

The dragon huffed slightly. "No need to be so rude, Merlin. I noticed you've already taken your first steps on destiny's path." Merlin gave him a confused look. "You saved Arthur's life."

Merlin laughed. "Well, yes, I'm not about to let someone die when I can stop it."

"And now, you're a member of his crew."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I suppose, but those were all choices I made. I don't know why you're so worked up about all of it."

The dragon looked at him in that mysterious way that made Merlin feel slightly uneasy. "With your help," the dragon said regally. "Arthur will regain what he once lost, and take his place as King of Camelot."

Merlin snorted. "I don't think Arthur quite fancies ever going back, but if you insist."

"Without Arthur, Albion is doomed. He must return, no matter the personal cost."

Merlin narrowed his eyes. "Personal cost? What, you mean like his adventurous spirit?"

"Or his sister's life." The corners of the dragon's mouth morphed into what Merlin could almost call a frown.

Merlin shook his head. "Gaius' told me the stories. Arthur will protect Morgana with his life."

"Yet, that may be his downfall."

Merlin threw his hands in the air in defeat. "Honestly, I don't know why you call me down here when you don't _really_ want to say anything. Are you just lonely?"

"I am not lonely, young warlock, I am old. And I am trapped."

"I'm sorry, but I don't know how I can help you with that." Merlin gave the dragon a concerned look. "I'm not the person you need for this."

"But you will be."

Merlin shook his head. This was a pointless conversation. As he turned to leave, he heard the dragon say one more thing.

"Destiny has already started, young warlock. We all take our place."

***

Arthur pounded on the door between the hallway and his chambers. He could not believe Nimueh continued to keep him locked up like some kind of violent animal.

"Hey!" he shouted, trying to get his voice to carry through the thick wood. "I want to speak to my aunt!" he pounded the door again. "I am your prince and I command you to go get her for me." he pounded relentlessly for a few more minutes before giving up and sinking onto the bed.

Which, of course, was when the door magically opened. Arthur jumped to his feet hopefully as Nimueh walked through the door, her eyes cautious as she watched him. "I heard you were requesting me." she said simply.

"Nimueh," he said, taking a step towards her. She raised a hand at him in warning. He put his hands up to show he was peaceful. "I wanted to say I'm sorry."

Nimueh raised her eyebrows at him.

He cleared his throat. "I was wrong; The way I acted was... undignified." he let out a shaky breath. "I've been thinking and I realize that what you did... well, it was for Morgana's own good." he frowned as he met Nimueh's eyes. "I mean, she accidentally set her own room on fire, in time, what could she have done to the castle?"

Nimueh stared at him for a long moment, her eyes clouded with suspicion. Finally, her face melted into relief. "I knew you would come around." she smiled at him. "You get that hot-headedness from your father but that logical sense, well, that is all Ygraine."

Arthur flexed his fingers to avoid clenching them into fists. "What of Morgana, though?" he asked, finally. "Do you think the King will execute her?"

Nimueh gave him a concerned look. "I'm unsure what the King will do. He's still deciding. She is his daughter, after all." she walked towards Arthur and put a hand on his shoulder. "I am sure he'll do the right thing for Camelot, though." she opened her arms, inviting Arthur for an embrace.

Arthur walked into her arms and thought of his sister.

***

About a week after Merlin officially joined the crew of The Golden Dragon, they were attacked by a kraken.

No, no, seriously. A kraken.

It was a Monday. Merlin growled.

After the kraken tore through the top sail on their mainmast, Morgana's powers not working to any avail to stop the beast, Merlin decided he needed to do something. And he also knew another magical beast who seemed to be able to see the future.

"You cannot kill a kraken, young warlock," the dragon said with a slight wince as there was another shattering from up above. "You must turn it into stone."

"That's subtle." said Merlin and groaned. "Can't I just get a spell to Morgana?"

"The witch does not have the kind of strength required to perform this magic. Usually one would need the Head of Medusa to turn it to stone, as no normal sorcerer can perform this feat."

"Great."

"But as we do not have the head and you are no normal sorcerer, I suggest you get to work."

"This isn't part of my duties." Merlin grumbled.

Merlin searched through his spell book and finally found a method for turning stone into something that had life. He figured he could just reverse the spell.

It really was not that simple.

The kraken attack, which had started at sundown was still raging as it reached midnight. They had warded it off for a while, Leon and Arthur commanding the crew in order to fire cannonballs at the beasts. Merlin had never seen the stoic redhead look quite so exhilarated.

"Gaius," Merlin said to the old man who was frantically going through his books trying to find a fix. "Gaius," he said, louder and the man paused, looking over at Merlin. "I need you to do something for me."

"What is it, my boy?" Gaius asked.

"I'm still trying to figure out this spell, but I need you to tell Arthur that you found something that says the kraken will turn to stone when the sun rises."

Gaius looked at him incredulously. "And where do you suppose I'm to find this mysterious lying book?"

Merlin walked over to one of the open volumes on Gaius' desk. " **Ic us bisen hræð tán hwanon**." He handed the book to Gaius who looked at him in wonder. "There you go."

"But -" Gaius started to say but Merlin cut him off.

"Gaius, please, I can master this spell, I know I can, but I need a cover for what happens."

Gaius stared at him long and hard. "Are you sure you can master that spell before dawn?"

Merlin bit his lip. "Positive," he lied.

Gaius frowned at him, and then nodded. "Alright, Merlin," he said. "I just hope you know what you're doing."

Merlin laughed. "You know me."

Gaius raised a single eyebrow. "That's what worries me."

Merlin did somehow manage to master the spell before dawn, almost miraculously. He looked at his now stone bed and decided he would deal with that later.

He watched as the sun rose over the distant horizon, looked at the attacking kraken and whispered " **Bebod þé ácwincan stán**." and gasped at the power that rushed out of body, exhausting him in almost an instant.

Later, as Merlin lay on Gaius' bed, too tired to turn his own bed back from stone, Arthur stormed in.

"There you are," he said in exasperation. "Come on, Merlin, what do you think this is, a vacation? I need you to help clean the decks and then clean my coat and my boots and then draw me a bath." Arthur turned on heel and marched out of the room just as he had come in.

"It seems your destiny needs you, Merlin." Gaius said.

Merlin made a whining noise, muffled by the pillow.

***

"It's a simple thing," Gaius had said carefully. "Many people used it to evade execution in the old days. I need you to sell it though." he had given Arthur a determined look. "Nimueh will not realize what has happened until we're long gone."

Arthur had gotten small freedoms back after his talk with Nimueh and was now allowed to venture outside his rooms, though he usually caught a small complement of guards following his every move. They thought they were being subtle but really, which guards were assigned to entertain small children while on patrol? Idiots, Arthur thought viciously.

"Gaius," he whispered as he walked into the old man's chambers that night, pulling back the hood on the cloak he wore. "Is everything ready?"

Gaius nodded, stepping aside and Arthur gasped as he looked at Morgana's body on the bench behind him.

"Gods," Arthur said in shock. "It really does look real, doesn't it?"

"Yes, with that piece of hair Gwen was able to get us, I was able to grow this in less than a day." Gaius said.

"It's eerie looking isn't it?" Arthur said, circling the body that lay on the table slowly. "It's not going to..." he looked at the body cautiously. "Move, or anything, right?"

Gaius chuckled. "Hopefully, not, or we'd have a whole new issue on our hands."

Arthur stared at the sleeping Morgana for a small while longer before finally looking away. He straightened himself up, holding his head high. "Well, let's do this then."

"One more thing," Gaius said, as Arthur moved to pick up the fake Morgana. He handed Arthur the key. "Gwen was able to copy it. Keep this somewhere safe where she cannot find it, and we'll be waiting for you when you come out." Arthur nodded and then picked up the fake Morgana easily in his arms.

Her head hung limply in his arms and he stared at the body in vague disgust.

"Well, Gaius," he said. "See you on the other side."

"I sincerely hope so, my boy."

Arthur pulled the hood over his head and carried the body towards the dungeons. He paused at the top of the steps and looked below. The guards sat in a circle at a table playing some kind of game involving dice and cards and were also in possession of a large jug of ale. Easy, Arthur thought.

He dug into his front pocket, finding one the rocks he had stored earlier and set fake Morgana gently on the floor. He then threw the stone downwards. Five stones, five guards knocked out and Arthur suppressed a laugh. Using a slingshot as a child had somehow become a relevant skill in his life again.

He picked up fake Morgana and continued on his way, double checking to make sure the guards were knocked out as he passed.

He reached Morgana's cell and placed the fake body on the floor gently. Morgana sat in a corner of her cell, huddled in a ball and not looking his way. "Morgana," he hissed and her head shot up, her desperate eyes meeting his.

"Arthur," she breathed out and he instantly thought about how much he longed to crush Nimueh's neck with his bare hands. "Arthur, what are you doing here? She could -" he cut her off.

"I told you I would not let them do anything to you." he used the key he had, the real key that the prince always kept on his person, and opened the dungeon door. He winced at the noise it made as it swung open. Morgana rushed forward. "Come on, we don't have time."

"I..." Morgana began to say but suddenly stopped as she looked down at the body. "What," she said slowly. "On earth is that?" she seemed to be staring at the fake Morgana in horror and Arthur could only begin to guess how weird this might feel for her. "Is that... me?"

Arthur grinned. "We grew an extra you." Morgana looked at him baffled. "Guinevere got us a piece of your hair from your hair brush and Gaius used it to..." he gestured vaguely in the direction of the body. "Grow this."

"Grow it." Morgana stated in horror.

Arthur nodded. "We don't have time to discuss this, Morgana, I need you to run."

"What?" she asked, her voice raising an octave.

"Shh!" Arthur whispered. "The guards are still knocked out. You're going to escape and I'm..." he looked down at the body on the floor. "I'm going to kill you."

Morgana looked at him, her face paler than it normally was, almost like she was going to be sick. "I have no idea what is going on."

"I don't have time to explain. Gaius can do that." he pushed her in the direction of the exit, and then proceeded to take off the cloak he was wearing and hand it to her. "Wear this. Go towards Gaius' chambers and he'll hide you."

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'm about to get arrested for murder, Morgana." Arthur grinned.

Morgana just looked at him worried.

"I will meet with you later, now go!" he gave her a final push in the other direction. She gave him one last concerned look, and then ran.

Arthur sighed and looked down at fake Morgana (Fagana? Morfake? Whatever).

"Well, Morg, let's get this started then."

***

"Merlin!" Arthur's voice carried across the ship. Merlin ran. He spotted Gwen standing by the ship railing at mouthed "save me." to her.

Gwen just laughed. Traitor.

"Merlin!" Arthur said, his voice closer as he ran to catch up. Merlin tried to speed up. He'd made it a few more feet before one of Arthur's boots hit him in the back of the head.

"Ow!" Merlin shouted, looking around for someone else to help him. Which was when he spotted Lancelot at one of the doors. Gesturing at him. "Thank the Gods." Merlin whispered, running towards Lancelot.

"Get in," Lancelot said in greeting, shoving Merlin unceremoniously into the door to the boatswain's quarters. Merlin listened at the door carefully.

He heard Arthur say "Where did he go? He was _just_ here!"

And then he heard Lancelot say "He ran just that way, Captain. Thinking he was headed for Gaius' rooms."

There was a long silence and then finally Arthur said "Alright, fine."

Merlin sighed in relief, sinking to the floor as Lancelot entered the quarters. "Merlin, what on earth did you do?"

Merlin looked at him in horror. "I may have, accidentally, of course, may have taken one of his shirts to make myself a neckerchief." Lancelot looked at Merlin like he had been dropped on his head as a child. And fair enough, but he was a wild magical kid and Hunith could only account for so much and it was only one time. "It was cold!" he said in response to the look, which didn't change. "The ocean is cold and I don't have any clothes except these, alright? I needed something and he never uses it anyway!"

Lancelot raised his eyebrows at Merlin. "And you couldn't have just asked him?"

Merlin looked away. "I mean, I just thought," he mumbled. "What's mine is his and his is mine, right?" he gave Lancelot a desperate look. "Crew is family and all that, right?"

Lancelot shook his head slowly, disappointed. He walked over to where Merlin was sitting and sat down on the floor next to him.

"All of you guys have red bandanas and things." Merlin said, his voice muffled by his hands covering his face. "I just wanted to be part of the crew."

"Arthur was right, wasn't he?" Merlin looked at Lancelot curiously. "You're an idiot."

"Oi." Merlin said and Lancelot laughed.

"You're already part of our crew, Merlin, without some red neckerchief." Lancelot paused. "Well, I guess that makes it easier."

"Makes what easier?" Merlin asked.

"Easier to realize you're the same person even if you're hiding the fact that you have magic from the captain."

Merlin froze.

"Yes, yes, Merlin, I know." he rolled his eyes at Merlin who was trying to calm his racing heart as it attempted to jump out of his body. "You're not exactly subtle, you know, turning a kraken to stone."

"That was the sun rise." Merlin said weakly and Lancelot shook his head at him.

"I _know_ , Merlin. You can stop now." Lancelot hummed as he stared at the wall in front of them. "Bebay odothay..." he mumbled absentmindedly.

Merlin's shoulders sagged. "You know." he said eventually.

Lancelot merely nodded.

"Will you... are you going to..." Merlin said, unsure of how to ask the question.

"I'm not going to tell Arthur, though it pains me to keep secrets like this for him." he looked Merlin in the eye. "I know you're not evil but I know Arthur won't see it that way." he frowned. "At least, not yet."

"He'd never trust me." Merlin said.

Lancelot threw an arm over Merlin's shoulder. "He could. With time." Lancelot sighed. "Arthur's... a very open person. He wears his heart on his sleeve and then gets it chewed up and stomped on in return for his efforts. He's learned to stop doing that the hard way."

Merlin looked at Lancelot. "You're very much the same." he said with a small smile.

Lancelot looked at the ground. "That I am, I suppose." he said, more wearily than Merlin would expect a man of Lancelot's youth to be.

They sat there, together, in comfortable silence. Finally, Lancelot asked "Can you show me something?"

"Show you something?" Merlin asked uncertainly.

"Yes, show me magic."

"You've seen Morgana use magic. And apparently me too."

"Morgana never uses her magic unless it's necessary. She's very cautious and scared about it. So, I've only ever seen magic used in terms of battle, not everyday life." Lancelot said. "I've never seen its... beauty."

Merlin was silent.

"Show me."

And Merlin did.

***

"Did you 'ear?" One of the handmaids gossiped to the others as they cleaned the dishes in the kitchen. "They say the prince has gone mad."

"Gone mad?" one of the girls asked with horror. "But the prince is so kind, so good."

"No, really," the first maid continued. "My brother's one of the guards that found 'im. I 'eard it from 'im. Prince Arthur murdered the Lady Morgana."

The others gasped. "No," one girl breathed.

"It's true," the cook said from the corner where she stood. The girls turned to look at her. "Say he broke into her cell last night, done murdered her right there."

The maids shook their heads. Royals, they did the craziest things.

The first maid spoke up again. "I 'eard it wasn't a clean murder either. 'e tore 'er apart. Was covered in 'er blood, my brother said." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "My brother said the biggest piece of 'er they found was 'er severed head."

The maids fell silent, shaking their heads solemnly. Who was there, if even the prince had gone mad?

"S'not right." The cook said roughly. "He murdered his own bloody sister. That's kinslaying, that is."

"Massacred." one of the maids said solemnly.

"The Bloody Prince." the cook said. "May the Gods damn his soul."

***

Arthur stood in his cell and paced. Nimueh had come to visit him. He'd laughed in her face, told her that sorcerers were temptresses and liars and he killed Morgana but he'd be coming to kill her next.

Nimueh had gave him an indescribable look and left shortly after.

Arthur waited until nightfall patiently. All the rumours only mentioned him killing Morgana, so everything was going according to plan. He hadn't been visited by Gaius or Gwen, which meant they didn't have any updates that could mean trouble.

They'd taken away all his things, his keys, his sword, everything, but they hadn't gotten the newly forged key that he'd hidden in the bottom of his boot.

Thank Guinevere and her blacksmithing skills.

The guards watched him warily, as if he'd blast open the bars and eat their hearts next. He'd started that rumour himself, saying her flesh tasted delicious because the fake body, it turned out, did not have its own heart.

Perhaps that is what Gaius meant by not quite perfect.

He hadn't been visited by his father but he expected that one. He thought about how long it took him to realize the control his father was under and shook his head in disappointment. Magic was greed, he thought to himself. It may not be pure evil, if it chooses you, but having that power at your fingertips, it will make you thirst for more power.

And that was a danger to everyone. He would have to talk about it with Morgana once they were reunited, but for now, Arthur vowed that people with magic that practiced it openly were not safe and not trustworthy.

He would not make the same mistakes again.

Arthur learned he was to be hung on the morrow and resisted the urge to laugh. He would be long gone by then.

When the clock struck midnight, Arthur used the key to open his cell. There were immediate shouts of alarm from the guards but Arthur met their attack with ease, and knocked them out quickly before the warning bells could be wrung. They were guards, after all, not knights. He searched the unconscious bodies, and retrieved his sword, a bag of gold coin he had had, and a small dagger that he sheathed in his boot.

Arthur slowly snuck out of the dungeons, ducking into shadowed alcoves where the moonlight would not show him to anyone passing by. At one point he accidentally ran straight into a young woman who had been sneaking out of the castle, probably after some late night rendezvous with a knight.

The girl saw Arthur and opened her mouth to scream, but Arthur put his hand over her mouth to silence her. He held the dagger he had to her throat and winced as she began to tear up.

"Hush," he said. "Do not breathe a word of this to anyone, and no harm will come to you." The eyes looked at him curiously and Arthur wondered whether she had gotten the message.

He slowly removed his hand and lowered his dagger and she breathed out loudly. She looked at him fearfully. "You..." she said. "You killed the Lady Morgana. The Bloody Prince..."

He sighed. They'd already given him a moniker then. "Yes, quite." he said. "And if you don't want me to do the same to you," he bluffed. "You'll keep quiet."

The girl nodded hesitantly.

Arthur stared at her for a bit longer before lifting his dagger once more. She flinched. "Give me your cloak." he said simply.

Her eyes were almost completely round. "My...?"

"Your cloak!" he said sharply. "Quickly!"

She gave him her cloak. It was a snug fit, him being a man with quite broad shoulders and the girl being quite young and small.

Arthur nodded firmly. "I don't know when I'll be back," he said, unsure as to why he said it, but somehow realizing this girl represented the public of Camelot and his people. "But I will come back. And then I will save Camelot from its current ruler."

"King Uther?" the girl asked, her voice betraying her confusion.

"No," Arthur said. "Nimueh."

Arthur had only just passed through the outer walls of the castle when the warning bells began to toll. So, he ran. He ran for the docks, where he knew Gaius would be waiting.

He panted as he reached Dragon's Bay, and looked around only to spot an entire entourage of people. "Gaius," he called out in shock and the group looked over at him. "What is going on?"

Leon, his trusted knight, his first knight, his companion, stepped forward. "Gaius contacted us and I was able to contact some friends, men in the navy."

"The royal navy?" Arthur asked in confusion.

Leon nodded. "Let me introduce you to Gwaine and Lancelot." Two men stepped up to meet them. "They're part of the crew of The Golden Dragon. Gwaine is their sailing master."

Arthur looked at these men in shock. "But how... why did you -"

Gwaine laughed. "I don't really know you, princess, but I do know the places the King has had us go these last few years have been incredibly suspicious. When Leon explained the whole situation, it all made sense."

Lancelot nodded at him. "The Golden Dragon is at your service."

"We're going to..." Arthur paused. " _Steal_ The Golden Dragon? The most prized ship in my father's navy?"

"It's not like Uther will even notice it's gone, in his state." Morgana had stepped towards Arthur from the back of the crowd. "So, you were able to escape, then?"

Arthur nodded. "The warning bells were sounded, but I was long gone by then."

Guinevere stepped up behind Morgana and Arthur noticed they were holding hands tightly. "This is my brother Elyan." she said, gesturing to a man behind her. "He said he'd be honoured to be part of your crew. And so would I."

"My... crew?" Arthur asked.

"Well," Gaius said with a mischievous smile. "If we're going to be stealing a ship from the royal navy, we're going to be pirates. And pirates elect their own captains."

"Pirates." Arthur said blankly.

"From what I've heard," Gwaine said with a sharp laugh. "You've already got yourself a pirate nickname. Arthur 'The Bloody Prince' Pendragon."

Arthur looked at this strange cast of people, all of whom were willing to risk their lives, leave their families, leave everything behind for him. People he hadn't even met.

They stared at him expectantly, waiting for something, some sign of confirmation.

"Alright," Arthur said. "Let's steal a ship from the royal navy."

Lancelot laughed. "Percival, anchors aweigh!" he called out.

A large man, who Arthur had just noticed was standing on the deck of the ship, gave a small smile. "Had already done that actually."

"Then, we set sail." Arthur said and took his first step aboard The Golden Dragon.

***

Arthur's quarters were right below the foredeck and they were beautiful. Merlin had never had the time to appreciate Arthur's cabin when he had been hiding and then later when the captain had knocked him unconscious inside it, but they really were beautiful.

The room was located in such a way that half of it was below water and half was above. There were a couple of windows but Merlin's favourite were the two windows who sat one slightly below the other. They were situated in a way that when you looked through the top window, you saw the horizon but when you looked through the bottom, it was all deep sea.

There was even a ladder fixed into the wall near the windows and a small projecting settee below the two portholes. It didn't seem like the kind of place Arthur would sit, because the seat was quite narrow, but Merlin, with his skinny frame, fit very snugly.

He relaxed in the settee, gazing out the top window, through which, at this angle, he could see the sky but not the ocean.

"Enjoying yourself?" Merlin definitely did _not_ jump as Arthur spoke. His leg slipped a bit on the wood as he was startled but Merlin managed to regain his balance.

Merlin looked over at Arthur who was standing near the open door and looking at him in an amused way. "I am," he said.

"You do realize, _Mer_ lin," said Arthur. "That this is the Captain's quarters. Not the hide-from-doing-your-chores room." he raised a single eyebrow and Merlin briefly wondered whether Gaius was hosting classes. "If you were going to pick a room for that, this is definitely the worst choice you could make."

"I like these windows." Merlin said plainly.

There was silence and Merlin continued to gaze outside. Then he heard Arthur's heavy footsteps as he slowly approached where Merlin was sitting. "I never found that seat very comfortable." Arthur said.

Merlin snorted. "Well, that's because you're fa..." he trailed off, catching himself before he could say the word but the damage was already done.

"Merlin." Arthur said in what Merlin had begun to call his 'I'm-a-pompous-arsehole' voice. "Were you about to call me fat?"

"Of course not, Captain." said Merlin. "That would be mutiny. Possibly." he gave Arthur a cheeky smile. "Besides, you're not fat, you're just..." he searched for the right word. "rotund."

" _Rotund_?"

"It means -" Merlin started to say.

"I know what it _means_ , idiot. I'm a bit surprised you do." Arthur said with a frown.

"I have a wide and varied vocabulary, I'll have you know."

"Guess you must need something to fill the space between those gigantic ears. Not like there's any common sense in there."

Merlin gave Arthur a withering look, before muttering "Prat." and looking back out the window.

They sat in silence, Merlin looking out of the top window at the sky and Arthur looking out the bottom window to the sea. Eventually, Arthur asked "You really love being out on the open ocean, don't you?" Merlin gave him a questioning look. "I mean, when you first arrived, you were terribly seasick but now," he paused. "Now, you're always watching the horizon."

A minute passed as Merlin trying to figure out the right words to describe his change of heart. "When, I first saw the sea," he started slowly. "I saw it at Dragon's Bay and I was a bit underwhelmed." he smiled wryly. "My mum had always told me stories about Dragon's Bay and the ocean, water as far as you could see and I expected so much, but when you're on the bay, the water is just a thin line."

Arthur watched as Merlin bit his lip.

"It doesn't seem never ending, it just seems... picturesque, I suppose." Merlin turned away from the window, shifting so his feet were dangling off the settee and not lying down on it, and looked at Arthur. "But out here, it seems so endless. It seems like I could keep going and I'd never see another shore again. It's not picturesque, it's terrifying and wild and there's krakens."

Arthur cracked a small smile.

"I'm from a small village. In Ealdor, you could never speak to your neighbour and they'd still probably know what you ate for breakfast that morning." Merlin sighed. "I guess it's the freedom."

"I know what you mean." Arthur said. "No rules, no duties, no one to question where you're going or why." Arthur frowned. "But it's also... incredibly lonely, I think. Empty."

"Empty?" Merlin asked.

"The sea, the horizon, all that is open, waiting to be seen. But the ocean, that's impenetrable. If this ship sank," Arthur shuddered. "The remains wouldn't be found for probably another eternity, maybe not even then. Never ending depth. Never ending emptiness."

Merlin looked at Arthur in concern. "Arthur, are you," he paused, unsure. "Are you not happy here?"

Arthur smiled, a bitter smile that welled up from somewhere and some past trauma. "Of course I'm happy here, Merlin." he looked out at the sky. "I love the ocean... but I love Camelot more."

"You could go back." Merlin said gently.

"Not much of home to go back to."

Arthur shook his head and turned away. Hiding his emotions, Merlin realized. "Anyway, Merlin, get back to work and stop lazing around."

As he walked away, Merlin wondered what it would be like to get Arthur back to Camelot, to watch him reclaim his place, and be crowned king by his loving people, to watch as his shoulders set in ease and a genuine smile bloom on his face.

Merlin wondered. And Merlin longed.

He looked out to the sky again. Wandering the world on The Golden Dragon was amazing, exciting, adventurous. But bringing back peace to Camelot... to Albion?

They could stop running from the past and move forward instead. They could bring magic back to Camelot, make sure people like Aredian didn't kill people in the streets and get away with it. They could help so many people.

They could change the world together.

Merlin could be happy living that life, he thought.

***

Leagues away, a raven fluttered onto the open windowsill of a quaint little home in the village of Ealdor.

The village was empty, not a soul walking through its open streets. The barn door was wide open, all the horses that used to be in the stables long gone.

Old Man Simmons home was vacant, and smelled vaguely of rotting eggs.

But the raven did not look at any of that, it was here to make a delivery. It flew into the home and onto the floor, in search of a person to unburden it of its message.

The floor was sticky, some kind of dried goo stuck to the clay dirt floor and the raven suddenly felt an animal instinct of dread.

As it walked away from the sticky pool, the tracks it made in the dirt shined red.

***

" **How many eyes does Lord Bloodraven have**? the riddle ran. **A thousand eyes, and one**."  
\- The Mystery Knight, by George R. R. Martin

 

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Honestly, there was so much whining when I first started writing this fic cause I was currently in the middle of writing a different fic (also Merthur), and I went on vacation expecting to get work done on that but this happened.  
> 2\. I think deep down I blame Dragon Age 2 and the fact that I was romancing Isabela  
> 3\. The document title for this fic was (and still is, right now) "the gay pirate au" which is a more suiting name, really, but not nearly as artistic.  
> 4\. The series title is a Pirates of the Carribean quote. Yeah, that happened.  
> 5\. My dad had a crisis the other day because he kept forgetting Jack Sparrow's last name but I still don't understand why that was so important to him.


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